Spring has finally sprung!

Tuesday

Apr 2, 2013 at 8:55 AMApr 2, 2013 at 8:55 AM

After a long, cold winter weíre anxious to see the grass greening up and trees budding. AhhhÖspring has finally sprung!

Last year spring came so early we didnít really get the longing for it that weíve had this year. Thankfully, Easter weekend came with plenty of sunshine, so wearing a sweatshirt wasnít a bother - at least the heavy coats are put away and hopefully they wonít see daylight till late next fall.

When changing the sign of our church recently, I just had to mention spring - itís the season of new birth and a time for getting enthused about everything from doing for others to sprucing up our lives and everything around us.

I think of those folks who live in warmer climates and donít get to experience the seasons. Itís kind of sad they donít have such an exclamation point on spring as we do. Thereís some ecstatic energy in knowing that now the days are longer and we can be outdoors soaking up the sunshine. Iím just not sure Iíd appreciate it as much if I had it all the time.

They say this time of year is optimal for volunteerism. We have a revived energy to get out and do things for our neighbors and those is the community. Many in communities around the country get inspired to roll up their sleeves and join volunteers to clean up parks, community gardens, and public spaces throughout their cities.

Itís a way to discover a new park, meet a community gardener, and learn more about the importance of open space and recreation while making a real difference in the community. An example is when the Hillsdale Kiwanis and Rotary clubs get together each spring to clean the bike path, which spruces up the scenery for those who enjoy hiking, biking or skating on the path.

Spring is also time for weeding and mulching. I think of April as earth month. Itís the critical time for young (and even not so young) native trees and shrubs. Trees need to put efforts towards growing; not competing for sunlight, oxygen and nutrients. Weeding and mulching do a lot to enable trees to thrive.

The Hillsdale Conservation District has their tree sale each April as its fundraiser as well as to promote conservation practices in the local community. Most of the trees are nut or fruit bearing, or for wildlife cover. This year they will again include daylilies as well as add bird houses in the sale. They have also selected larger trees for better quality and hardiness.

Since daylilies are one of my favorite spring flowers, I have several on order and Iím anxiously awaiting the pickup dates of April 12-13 at the Hillsdale Fairgrounds Expo Building. I have several varieties of daylilies to look forward to this year.

Last weekend several hours were spent outdoors readying the flower beds by removing the dead leaves and plant remains from last season. Itís much easier to cut plants back before the old growth gets tangled up in the new growth.

The first task is removing and composting any dead annual plants that remained over winter. If you didnít prune back your perennials last fall, theyíre probably looking pretty ugly as spring sets in. Many perennials actually prefer to be left standing throughout the winter, for extra protection. Besideís, I get a kick out of seeing new growth at the base of plants. Thatís when I know itís safe to begin removing winter mulch and pruning them down to ground level†ó Ahh, yes, spring has sprung!Nancy Hastings is a Hillsdale Daily News staff writer. She can be reached at nancy.hastings@hillsdale.net.†